BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org
Area residents interested in seeking election to city councils, school boards or community college boards of trustees will have until noon Tuesday, Jan. 25 to file for election.
The 2011 spring election cycle will included a primary election (if necessary) on Tuesday, March 1 and a general election on Tuesday, April 5.
Here is a look at the local city, school and community college positions that will be considered on the 2011 election ballot.
Caney City Council — The city council positions now held by Dan Johnston (ward 1), Joe Taylor (ward 2), Alyssa Whitman (ward 3) and Roger Hawthorne (ward 4) will be on the election ballot. Also on the 2011 election ballot are seats now held by Mayor Dale McBride and city treasurer Sara Shiveley.
City councilors and city mayor serve two-year terms. Persons elected to the posts in the April general election will assume the oath of office at the city council’s meeting on Monday, April 18.
The positions now held by councilors April Pell, Josh Eaton, Jason Moore and Erin Munday will be decided in the 2012 election cycle.
Persons interested in seeking election to any of the above-mentioned posts can file paperwork at the Caney City Hall.
USD 436 Board of Education — Four positions on the USD 436 Board of Education will be considered in the 2011 election cycle. They include the positions now held by Jack Kopfman (district A, position 4), David Deal Jr. (district B, position 6), Suellen Holtzman (at large) and Debbie Morrison (district B, position 5).
Persons interested in filling out necessary paperwork for any of the four positions can do so by contacting the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office in Independence.
The positions now held by school board members Robert Hawthorne (district A, position 1), Mark Artherton (district A, position 2) and Darlene Sanders (district B, position 3) will not be considered until 2013.
School board members serve four-year terms. Each member’s term of service begins in July after the April general election.
USD 447-Cherryvale Board of Education — Four of the seven positions on the USD 447-Cherryvale Board of Education will be up for election in 2011.
The seats now held by board members Tina Cunningham, Sharon Wadman, Michelle Loganbill and Cody Smith will be decided in the 2011 election cycle. The seats now held by Bruce Thornton, Gina Booe Jasmin Forman will be decided in 2013.
School board members serve four-year terms, beginning in July.
Persons in USD 447, which includes Cherryvale and Thayer, interested in seeking any of the four school board seats can fill out election papers at the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office in Independence.
Cherryvale City Council — Two positions on the Cherryvale City Council as well as the position of city mayor will be decided in the 2011 elections.
The council seats now held by councilor Randy Wagoner and Kevin Crane will be decided in 2011. The mayoral seat held by John Wright also will be decided in the same election cycle.
Councilors and mayor serve four-year terms, which begin in the first regularly-scheduled meeting following the April general election.
The council seats now held by Lew Forman and Chad Wickham will not be decided until 2013.
Persons interested in seeking election to any of the city positions can make their intent known by contacting the Cherryvale City Hall.
Coffeyville City Commission — Three positions on the Coffeyville City Commission will be considered for election in 2011. They include the posts now held by commissioners Richard Gonzales, Alec Hendryx and David George.
The positions now held by commissioners Jim Taylor, Sr., and Pam Jones will not be considerd for election until 2013.
In the race for the three available positions on the city commission, the top two vote recipients will serve four-year terms; the third-place finisher will serve a two-year term.
Coffeyville city residents interested in seeking a city commission position can file paperwork at the Coffeyville City Clerk’s Office.
USD 445 Board of Education — Five of the seven school board positions in the Coffeyville school district will be considered by voters in the 2011 election cycle. School board members whose terms of service are set to expire in 2011 include Mark Frank, Larry McGinnis, Mike Mason, Denise Gates and Gene Brownlee. The positions now held by Jerry Hamm and Helen Ellerman will not be considered for election until 2013.
School board members serve four-year terms, which will begin in July 2011.
Any duly-qualified resident in the Coffeyville school district who is interested in seeking a school board post can file for election at the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office in Independence.
Coffeyville Community College board of trustees — Four positions on the Coffeyville Community College board of trustees will be considered for election in 2011. Trustees whose terms of service will expire in 2011 include Buck Walton, Sherri Melander, Lue Barndollar and David Baldwin. All trustees serve four-year terms, however Baldwin’s position will be a two-year term. After 2013, it will revert to a four-year term.
The positions now held by Blake Allen and Becky Medley will be decided in the spring 2013 election cycle.
Any qualified resident of the CCC tax district can file for election by notifying the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office.
Independence Community College board of trustees — Five of the six trustee positions will be decided in the 2011 election.
Four-year vacancies will exist for the trustee posts now held by Dan Dollison, Bill Rollison, Jay Jones, Kenny Wilson and Jedidah Newkirk. The position now held by Lisa Drumeller will not be decided until the 2013 election cycle.
Any qualified resident of the Independence Community College tax district can apply for the trustee positions. The top five vote recipients in the April 2011 general election will serve on the college board; the term of service will officially begin in July 2011.
Independence City Commission — Two of the three positions on the Independence City Commission will be chosen in 2011.
The positions now held by Tim White and Derrill Unruh will be decided in the 2011 election cycle. White is currently serving a two-year term while Unruh is serving a four-year term.
The position now held by commissioner Rick Mott will not be decided until spring 2013.
Persons interested in seeking election to any of the above-mentioned posts can file paperwork at the Independence City Hall.
USD 446 Board of Education — Four positions on the USD 446 Board of Education will be decided in the 2011 election cycle.
School board members whose terms of service will expire in 2011 include Charles Barker, Sr., Marty Reichenberger, Sherry Epp and Carole Farthing.
The positions now held by school board members Jeff Chubb, Jim Kelly and Dan Bryant will be decided in the 2013 election cycle.
School board member serve four-year terms, which begin in July after the April general election.
Any duly-qualified resident in the Independence (USD 446) school district who is interested in seeking a school board post can file for election at the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office in Independence.
